Bette & Joan: The Divine Feud

This joint biography of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford follows Hollywood's most epic rivalry throughout their careers. They only worked together once, in the classic spine-chiller What Ever Happened to Baby Jane, and their violent hatred of each other as rival sisters was no act. In real life they fought over as many men as they did film roles.

Lucy and Desi: The Legendary Love Story of Television's Most Famous Couple

After eight years on the air, Desi Arnaz did not love Lucy any more. On screen, they were dynamite, a comedy pairing more successful than any Hollywood had ever produced. But when the cameras stopped rolling, they fought, screamed and threatened each other more each season. Finally, an argument in Desi's production office turned violent. Lucy hurled a cocktail glass past his head, and Desi demanded a divorce. He moved out that night. After nearly 20 years, America's favorite couple was finished.

A Passion for Life: The Biography of Elizabeth Taylor

Born in England to socially ambitious parents, Elizabeth Taylor was catapulted into child stardom and molded by MGM into the great violet-eyed beauty of postwar America. Along the way, without training or counsel, she became an award-winning actress, dazzling audiences everywhere with spectacular performances.

The Dark Side of Genius: The Life of Alfred Hitchcock

Acclaimed biographer Donald Spoto explores the roots of Hitchcock’s obsessions - with food, murder, and idealized love, among others - and traces the origins of his incomparable, bizarre genius, from his childhood and education to the golden years of his career. Based on interviews with his writers, actors, and longtime associates, and on exhaustive research, The Dark Side of Genius is the definitive biography of Alfred Hitchcock.

Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn

Her name is synonymous with elegance, style, and grace. Over the course of her extraordinary life and career, Audrey Hepburn captured hearts around the world and created a public image that stands as one of the most recognizable and beloved in recent memory. But despite her international fame and her tireless efforts on behalf of UNICEF, Audrey was also known for her intense privacy.

The Kennedy Wives: Triumph and Tragedy in America’s Most Public Family

The Kennedy wives saw history up close - and made history in some cases. They knew wealth and privilege, but we are bonded to them by losses that are our losses, too. The Kennedy women - fierce, intelligent, and very private - belong to us. Not because of their glamour but because of their grief and misfortunes. The Kennedy Wives takes an unflinching look at the women who married into the Kennedy family and their distinct roles.

His Way: The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra

This is the book Frank Sinatra failed to stop, the unauthorized biography of one of the most elusive public figures of our time. Celebrated journalist Kitty Kelley spent three years researching government documents (Mafia-related material, wiretaps and secret testimony) and interviewing more than 800 people in Sinatra's life (family, colleagues, law-enforcement officers, personal friends).

Judy and I: My Life with Judy Garland

The third of Judy Garland's five husbands, Sid Luft was the one man in her life who stuck around. He was chiefly responsible for the final act of Judy's meteoric comeback after she was unceremoniously booted off the MGM lot: he produced her iconic, Oscar-nominated vehicle A Star Is Born and expertly shaped her concert career.

My Way of Life

An incredible recording of Joan Crawford reading her book, My Way of Life. Originally recorded in 1973, it was recently remastered from the original LP records. Hear the unabridged edition performed by the one and only Joan Crawford.

Diana: Her True Story - in Her Own Words

The sensational biography of Princess Diana, now revised to commemorate the 20th anniversary of her death. When Diana: Her True Story - in Her Own Words was first published in 1992, it forever changed the way the public viewed the British monarchy.

I Loved Her in the Movies: Memories of Hollywood's Legendary Actresses

In a career that has spanned more than 60 years, Robert Wagner has witnessed the twilight of the Golden Age of Hollywood and the rise of television, becoming a beloved star in both media. During that time he became acquainted, both professionally and socially, with the remarkable women who were the greatest screen personalities of their day. I Loved Her in the Movies is his intimate and revealing account of the charisma of these women on film, why they became stars, and more.

Jackie's Girl: My Life with the Kennedy Family

In 1964 Kathy McKeon was just 19 years old and newly arrived from Ireland when she was hired as the personal assistant to former first lady Jackie Kennedy. The next 13 years of her life were spent in Jackie's service, during which Kathy not only played a crucial role in raising young Caroline and John Jr. but also had a front-row seat to some of the 20th century's most significant events.

The Diana Chronicles

In The Diana Chronicles, you will meet a formidable female cast and understand as never before the society that shaped them: among them, Diana's sexually charged mother, her bad-girl sister-in-law, Fergie, and, most formidable of them all, her mother-in-law, the Queen. Add Camilla Parker-Bowles, the ultimate "other woman" into this combustible mix, and it's no wonder that Diana broke out of her royal cage into celebrity culture, where she found her own power and used it to devastating effect.

Frank & Ava: In Love and War

It began in Hollywood's golden age, when Ava was emerging as a movie star. But she fell in (and out of) love too easily. Mickey Rooney married her because he wanted another conquest. Artie Shaw treated her like a dumb brunette, giving her a reading list on their honeymoon. Neither marriage lasted a year. Then, after being courted by Howard Hughes and numerous others, along came Frank Sinatra. His passion for Ava destroyed his marriage and brought him close to ruin.

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: The Untold Story

The untold story of how one woman’s life was changed forever in a matter of seconds by a horrific trauma. Barbara Leaming’s extraordinary and deeply sensitive biography is the first book to document Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ brutal, lonely, and valiant 31-year struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following JFK’s assassination.Here is the woman as she has never been seen before.

The Murder of Marilyn Monroe: Case Closed

In The Murder of Marilyn Monroe: Case Closed, renowned MM expert Jay Margolis and New York Times best-selling author Richard Buskin finally lay to rest more than 50 years of wild speculation and misguided assertions by actually naming the screen goddess's killer. At the same time, they use the testimony of eyewitnesses to describe exactly what took place inside her house on Fifth Helena Drive in Los Angeles's Brentwood neighborhood.

High Society: The Life of Grace Kelly

In just seven years---from 1950 through 1956---Grace Kelly embarked on a whirlwind career that included roles in 11 movies. From the principled Amy Fowler Kane in High Noon to the thrill-seeking Frances Stevens of To Catch a Thief, Grace established herself as one of Hollywood's most talented actresses and iconic beauties.

Oprah: A Biography

Based on three years of research and reporting, as well as 850 interviews with sources, many of whom have never before spoken for publication, Oprah is the first comprehensive biography of one of the most influential, powerful, and admired public figures of our time, by the most widely read biographer of our era.

Publisher's Summary

Fifty years after her death, Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe still beguiles the world, her image enthralling millions. Many books have attempted to explain her allure and tell her story, but none has succeeded as well as this work by acclaimed biographer Donald Spoto.

Spoto’s exhaustive research uncovers a conspiracy of silence, allowing him to present the facts, free from often-repeated myths and speculation. Granted access to more than thirty-five thousand pages of formerly sealed files containing letters, diaries, appointment books, and other intimate papers, he also interviewed nearly two hundred people who had never before spoken on record. From the papers of Marilyn’s psychiatrist and her medical files to recently declassified government documents, the truth emerges and provides a moving, often shocking picture of the real Marilyn Monroe - including her connection to the Kennedys and the bizarre, horrifying truth about how she really died.

What the Critics Say

"This is a book that wound up teaching me a great deal about Hollywood, the social history of California, the movie business, the trials of female actors in American show business, and the life of a woman who has been so mythologized that often the real woman is obscured from actual view." (Erica Jong for Washington Post Book World)

"Spoto has given Monroe the treatment she deserves. At last she emerges not as a goddess but as a human being in this extraordinary volume." (Daily Telegraph)

What made the experience of listening to Marilyn Monroe the most enjoyable?

The fact that it was unabridged. I think the narration is quite good, but I would have preferred to hear the actual author's voice.

What other book might you compare Marilyn Monroe to and why?

The biographies of the Queen, the Kennedys, and Diana, Princess of Wales by Sally Bedell Smith. Sally Smith, like Donald Spoto, knows how to research and pen a proper biography, unlike hatchet hacks like Kitty Kelley and Christopher Anderson who rely too much on gossip, printed tabloid reports, and unsubstantiated or incredible sources for their books.

Which character – as performed by Anna Fields – was your favorite?

Marilyn Monroe herself. She would have wanted this fair and balanced account of her life written before Norman Mailer (1972) and Anthony Summers (1985) brought sensationalism into their versions, which clearly distorted her legacy and damaged the legend of Monroe. Mailer did not mince words when he admitted forty years ago that he wrote a semi-fictional biography because he needed the money. After that all MM biographers, except for Spoto, did the same. No wonder Spoto was the only one granted access to her private letters and documents. He has done full justice to her memory and once and for all cast permanent doubt on the many lies told about this heartbreaking icon. She deserved nothing less.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely.

Any additional comments?

If anyone wishes to know the real truth about Marilyn, this is the biography to read or listen to.

Monroe's life is full of mystery, from her birth to her death. Donald Spoto tries to solve this mystery, but I don't always agree with his conclusions. For example, was Monroe's psychiatrist responsible for her death? Was Robert Kennedy completely innocent of an affair with Monroe? This is Spoto's conclusion. However, I'm glad this audiobook finally made it to Audible. Narration is fine, not great. The afterword gives some thoughtful reflections on the Monroe "cottage industry" that was primarily started by Robert Slatzer and others.This book will keep you thinking about the unanswered questions of Monroe's life and death, even if you don't agree with the author's conclusions.

What made the experience of listening to Marilyn Monroe the most enjoyable?

Hearing fresh ideas based on concrete evidence and fact you learn how sweet and amazing she really was. <br/>It is not centered on seedy sexual ideas or a sleazy contempt, but based on a genuin love of Marilyn as a human being. <br/>It is based on facts and not theory

What other book might you compare Marilyn Monroe to and why?

None

Which scene was your favorite?

When Marilyn calls a Fox exec and gets his wife, and she thoughtfully chooses her words and asks the mans wife to deliver the message that she says F--- off. And then politely tells the wife she wishes her warmest regards and to have a wonderfull day.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, very interesting!

Any additional comments?

Great read on Marilyns life and death and it chronologicly covers her life and status from start to end.<br/>It also sets straight many myths concerning her death and a briliant well thought theory on how she died that im convinced is true.<br/>It all makes common sense and makes you wonder why certain people werent put in prison. <br/><br/>God bless Marilyn

This is actually the first Marilyn book I've read/heard. Very informative and detailed account of her early years. I got a much better understanding of Norma Jean and was somewhat surprised by her courage and perseverance. This author also presents details regarding her death that I'd never heard either. This bio of Marilyn Monroe gave me a respect for the woman and made a fan out of me.

Where does Marilyn Monroe rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

A very balanced and in depth biography without the myths and sensationalism.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Marilyn Monroe?

There were many points of Ms. Monroe's life that I learned about that made this book important to me as it dispelled the rumours and tabloidism surrounding this icon who justsimply wanted to be a woman who was loved for herself and her God given talent.

Which character – as performed by Anna Fields – was your favorite?

Ms. Fields voice was the least favorite part of the book for me. I didn't expect characterizations or anything of that sort. I just didn't care for the sound.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This book is 22+ hours, so no, I wouldn't want to listen to it all at once. There is a lot to digest as far as factual info, i.e. addresses, side bars, etc., but it is all relevant, and builds to make the listener really feel what made Norma Jean into Marilyn Monroe.

Any additional comments?

I had never read a bio on Ms. Monroe, but am watching SMASH on TV and wanted to know more about the facts of her life. She was a determined, smart, kind, generous soul who was not cared for by herself or those she trusted. I will watch her movies again with a deeper appreciation. God Bless you Norma Jean.

Would you consider the audio edition of Marilyn Monroe to be better than the print version?

I do not have the print version so I cannot compare.

What did you like best about this story?

The author did a lot of research and it shows. Also I liked that he spoke about well known rumors and told which ones had no fact behind them and put them to rest. I am glad I chose this as my first Monroe listen.

What does Anna Fields bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I, like many people, have always been fascinated by Marilyn Monroe. This book does an incredible job of chronicling her life from beginning to end. It was packed with wonderful insights about who she really was as a person. And above all, it clarified the mystery around her death. If you can invest the time, it's well worth it.❤️